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A 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection to the death of a teen girl whose body was found Thursday morning near Cypress Lake Preserve. Authorities said she is believed to have been murdered.
The girl's body was found around 9:35 a.m. by a passerby off Ridge Manor Boulevard in Ridge Manor.
In a press conference on Friday, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said a witness came forward, revealing that the girl left her home in the middle of the night at around 1:30 a.m. to meet someone who "was likely the person who killed her."
Nienhuis added that the girl was likely killed using "an edged weapon" and that multiple interviews led investigators to the 16-year-old suspect.
10 Tampa Bay is not identifying the boy at this time due to his age. However, officials say he is in the process of being charged.
Deputies said the agency's major case unit "has been working diligently" on the case since the girl's body was found, as they believe her death was the result of "homicidal violence."
The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information to call 352-754-6830 and ask to speak to Detective J. Mitro.